Long Overdue LVX First Impressions and Review

Hello polish lovers!

Sorry for the long absence but I was involved in some pretty intense renovations...they kind of tried to destroy my nails so they are shorter than I like them.

As the title says, this is a long overdue first impressions and review of LVX polishes.  I was at Marshalls one day and found some of these polishes, all from last year's Spring and Summer lines.  At first I only bought 2 because I had never found the brand to buy in store before and I didn't know what the quality was like.  I also don't think I could pay $16 for a single polish....it would have to be pretty damn amazing and last more than a week with no chipping for me to even think about it.  Fortunately the ones I found at Marshalls were only $7 which is much more do-able for me.  The first 2 I got were Celeste and Viridian.  (WARNING:  These photo's were taken months ago when my dominant hand was not usable so the clean up is not as good as normal, also please excuse the awkward hand position...really difficult for me to photograph my left hand.)

Celeste is a gorgeous soft grey'd out light blue...opaque in 2 coats and lasted on me for 4 days before it began to chip.  This was the first I tried and made me go back to Marshalls for as many other colours I could find.

Viridian, sorry the sunshine kind of washed it out and made it much brighter than it is IRL, this is a gorgeous medium toned green, the kind that my camera kind of looks at and cries about, could not get a colour accurate photo to save my life.  This was also opaque in 2 coats.

On my next trip to Marshalls I found Modena, Citrine, Azalea, Chambord and Indigo Bleu.

Azalea, pretty pink based lilac, similar to Pantone's Radiant Orchid colour of the year.  This had the best formula of the great formula's and was opaque in 1 coat.

Chambord is a deep raspberry colour, opaque in 2 coats and very pigmented.

Citrine is the only one of the bunch with a weak formula but it is a yellow...a mustard-y yellow but yellow none the less.  This was 3 coats to become opaque but applied smoothly like all the other colours.

Indigo Bleu was just as pigmented as the other colours but stained quite badly on removal.  You have to make sure not to re-use your cotton round or you will never get it off your cuticles.  The gorgeous purple/blue depending on lighting is totally work the extra mess though.  This is also 2 coats.

Modena is the last swatch I have for you.  An amazing bright poppy red.  2 coats, clean up was difficult, this one stains worse than Indigo Bleu, and not just your cuticles but nails too.  Definitely need to double up on base coat before I use this one again, but sooo pretty, and I am not a lover of reds.

I was later able to find Fantom, a white, and Cerulean, a royal blue at Winners, but have not swatched these yet.

Overall I was incredibly impressed with the quality and pigmentation of these polishes and hope that I manage to find more on other outings.

That is all for today.

Until next time, polish happy!

NPC Day 9: Had to Have it, Still Haven't Worn it

Hello polish lovers!

Today's prompt in the challenge is Had to Have it, Still Haven't Worn it.  When I saw this prompt I immediately knew which one I would use.  KB Shimmer's You Autumn Know, from the Fall 2013 collection.  I had to wait through 2 restocks on Harlow & Co., in order to get this.  I immediately fell in love with the swatches I was online and was so happy when I was finally able to get it.  I did use it as an accent once but for some reason I never did a full mani.

I love this polish!  This is 3 coats.  You Autumn Know is a white jelly base loaded with gold, orange and purple hex glitters in 3 different sizes mixed with orange and purple micro bar glitter.  I am usually not a fan of bar glitter but this is soo small that it doesn't bother me.

So pretty.  Although this is from a fall collection the colours work very well for spring as well.  I think the reason that I had not worn this before is I am so hesitant to use glitters because I hate dealing with the removal process.  I am going to have to get over it, because this is so pretty and soft.

That is all for today, I will be back Monday with the Most Expensive prompt, if I do not post Sunday.

Tomorrow I am going to the Maple Syrup Festival in Elmvale, a small town about 20 mins from my home.  I went for the first time last year with my sister and loved it so I am really looking forward to this year.  Not only will I be coming home with many maple syrup products but last year there was a Kleancolor vendor so I am hoping he is back so I can pick up a few more for my collection.

Until then, polish happy!

An InLinkz Link-up

NPC Day 4: Frost

Hello polish lovers!

Back with the next challenge of finding a Frost untried in my stash.  I am not a fan of frost finishes as a rule, I tend to find them rather dated.  I did manage to find one in my stash, a Joe Fresh Polish (the brand my local grocery store sells) and besides being a frost finish, the polish is actually called Frost!

Super, super sheer!  This is 3 coats.  Since I hate seeing my own VNL I decided to create a funky french tip using my Art Club by Color Club pastel stripers.  The colours I chose, pink and purple, also happen to have a frost finish.

Sorry it is soo over-exposed but I am not used to having sunlight to take my photos in yet.  Please remember that I am left handed and was using my left hand for this so the lines are not as crisp as they would be if I were painting my right hand.  My poor broken nail on my right hand is getting better, but is not to the length I want yet.

That's all for now,  I will be back soon with my untried Jelly.

Until then, polish happy!

An InLinkz Link-up

China Glaze City Flourish and Sea Goddess Collections, First Impressions and Review

Hello polish lovers!

Sorry I have been absent for a while but I think the last challenge had me on posting overload so I took a bit of a vacation when it was over.

Today I have 4 polishes from China Glaze Spring Collection City Flourish and 1 polish from the Sea Goddess Collection.

I will start with the City Flourish collection.

So I finally got around to creating a light box so I am hoping that will help with how uneven my lighting has been.
I purchased these colours when Sally Beauty had China Glaze on their 1 day sale in February, and have used them in mani's since but have not yet told you what I thought of them.

First up is In a Lily Bit.

In a Lily Bit is a lilac cream polish with a strong pink undertone.  The formula is thin but not overly difficult to work with and requiring minimal clean up, the first coat is streaky but is opaque on the second coat.  The polish is one of those neon pastels and does dry matte so it does require top coat.  This is 2 coats topped with Seche Vite.  I normally avoid this shade but the brightness stops the lobster fingers.

Second is What a Pansy.

What a Pansy is definitely my favourite name of the collection, although it is not my favourite polish.  What a Pansy is a mid-tone purple with strong blue under-tone.  The formula is thicker than In a Lily Bit and would be a 1 coat-er if the application was not slightly patchy, fully opaque in 2 coats.  This one does not dry matte and the above picture is 2 coats with no clean up and no top coat.

Third is At Vase Value.

At Vase Value is a light blue that shares its value range with For Audrey, and shows slightly more green IRL.  The 1st coat is streaky but is opaque in 2.  This dries with the same matte finish as In a Lily Bit and this photo is 2 coats with Seche Vite.

Last is Grass is Lime Greener.

Colour-wise, Grass is Lime Greener is my favourite of the collection...but of course it has the worst formula.  It is both patchy and streaky and uneven with 2 fingers requiring a third coat.  It is the most neon pastel of the collection and I do not have anything comparable by other brands.  It dries with the same matte finish and this is 2-3 coats(depending on the finger) topped with Seche Vite.

Next I will show you the 1 polish I purchased from the Sea Goddess Collection: Wish on a Starfish.

Cute name and a very pretty polish.  The Sea Goddess collection is the first China Glaze has released that is all texture containing glitter or shimmer.

Wish on a Starfish is a pink texture polish with a ton of gold shimmer.  This polish has a great formula, in that it stays exactly where you put it and requires no clean up.  Unfortunately it requires 3 coats to be fully opaque and not show VNL.  Drying time is on par with other texture polishes that I own(which I think is way too long and part of the reason I seldom use them).  It would be interesting to put 1 coat over a pink base and top coat, just to see how much the gold shimmer really shows.

Overall I really like the China Glaze polishes for Spring.  The colours are totally appropriate in their Easter Pastels, but bright enough to not look washed out.  I know I will be using them all spring and a few into the summer too.

That's all for today, I will be back probably on Friday for my next post.

Until then, polish happy!

Nail Art A-Go-Go, Day 27: Pointillism

Hello polish lovers!

Last post of the night, and the shortest, because I am tired and fighting a bad headache.

For the Pointillism prompt I decided, of course, to use my dotting tools.  I did not want to do anything representative, and so went to the basics and did overlapping dots.

I started with a base of 2 coats of Barry M Papaya(can you tell I want summer to come already?).

I then used a small dotting tool and SHID Lightening to dot all over my nails.

I repeated with SHID Lickety-Split Lime leaving an area bare.

And again with SHID Mint Sprint, moving out slightly again.

And lastly with Barielle Shades Girls Night Out, moving out again.

I then topped with SV(because I learned my lesson last time).

That is all for today(finally).

I will be back tomorrow with my final installment of this challenge, Art Nouveau.

Until then, polish happy!

An InLinkz Link-up

Nail Art A-Go-Go, Day 17: Animation

Hello polish lovers!

Sorry I didn't post yesterday but it was Family Day here in Canada(Ontario to be exact) and we all spent the day together.

So yesterday's prompt was Animation and I took the opportunity to try out some nails that I have been wanting to do since last summer....Adventure Time nails!

They definitely did not turn out the way I wanted them to but I don't think they were that bad for a first attempt.  They all started of a base of OPI Alpine SNow.

I think LSP turned out the best but I will list the polishes that I used here for you:
LSP-OPI A Grape Fit!, and Need Sunglasses with a black striper.
Finn-OPI My Vampire is Buff and a black striper.
Jake-OPI The "IT" Color and black and white stripers.
Princess Bubblegum-Color Club Flamingo, China Glaze In a Lily Bit and the Grass is Lime Greener, OPI Need Sunglasses and a black striper.

That is all for now but I will be right back with my Sci-Fi nails.

Until then, polish happy!

An InLinkz Link-up

Nail Art A-Go-Go, Day 15: Round and Square

Hello polish lovers!

Today I have my mani for the Round and Square prompt.  I used this as an opportunity to try out 4 of the new China Glaze Spring Collection, City Flourish.  I missed out on most of the Avant Garden collection from last spring( I have Mimosas Before Manis, Budding Romance and Keep Calm, Paint On) so I was excited when I was able to pick up a couple when Sally's was having their 2 day sale last week.

My pinkie is In a Lily bit, a light pink based lavender creme, opaque in 2 coats.  My ring finger is At Vase Value, a light and bright blue creme, opaque in 2 coats.  My middle is What a Pansy, a deep blue based purple creme, opaque in 2 coats.  My index is Grass is Lime Greener, a bright almost neon green pastel creme, streaky and requires 3 coats to be opaque(yet still my favourite colour of the collection).

Once this was dry I got out my Pueen Sumptuous stamping plates and found many images that would work for the prompt...so I did a different image on each finger nail.

The images in order from left to right are: 02, 16, 13, and 20.  They are all stamped using Konad White.  I think my favourite is my ring finger, I love that blue.

That is all for today, but I will be back tomorrow with my Doodles nails.

Until then, polish happy!

An InLinkz Link-up

Nail Art A-Go-Go, Day 8: Still Life

Hello polish lovers!

I told you I would be back!  So lets get started...I began with 2 coats of China Glaze Lemon Fizz, a soft butter-cream yellow(I have a few by different brands that look to be similar colours if anyone would like a comparison).

Once this was dry I got out my trusting dotting tools and a detail brush and got started.

The vase is Color Club Pucci-licious, the stripe is Color Club Silver Lake, the leaves are Orly Mint Mojito(light green) and OPI Jade is the New Black(dark green) and the roses are Barielle Shades Euphoric(lighter raspberry) and OPI Visions of Love.

I was kind of going for a Van Gogh look for the vase of flowers but its hard to make nail polish look like brushstroke-y oil paint.  I really love how the full roses look, better than the buds in the vase.  The last time I did roses I used a small dotting tool and dabbed in C's while this time I put a dot of the dark colour in the center of the wet polish and used my thinnest dotting tool to swirl the two colours around.

The roses are my favourite freehand that I have done recently, and I cannot wait to show you my mani for Camoflage...but that is later in the week.

I will be back tomorrow with my Inner Geek nails...I will give you a hint...EXTERMINATE!!!

Until then, polish happy!

Nail Art A-Go-Go, Day 5, Contrast

Hello polish lovers!

Quick Day 5 challenge post, this was a bit of a fail for me.  I was trying a polish that I haven't used with stamping before...and don't think I will again.

I started with a base for 3 coats of Ciate Loop the Loop, very streaky, non-self-leveling, but a pretty butter-cream colour.

So the colour that I went with for the stamping is Sephora by OPI in Caffeine Fix, looks brown in the bottle but a thin coat shows purple.  That is what I was hoping for when I stamped.  I used MASH plates 38 and 50 for this design.  I wanted both the colours and the images to contrast, unfortunately Caffeine Fix didn't stamp cleanly and also smudged when I top coated, which I very seldom have happen, but does occasionally occur.

Disappointing, definitely, but stamping is a learning process.  It stamped decently well on the thin lines of the plants, so that is something to keep in mind.

Anyway, that is all for today, I will be back tomorrow with my Day 6 mani, Neon.

Until then, polish happy!

Vacation Haul...As Promised

Hello polish lovers!

Here is my vacation polish haul, as promised.  It is not near as large as I was expecting it to be but the polishes at TJMax and Marshalls in Ft. Lauderdale were incredibly picked over and I didn't find anything that I wanted, except a Sparitual mini 10 pack at Marshalls, unfortunately, the line up was so long I did not feel the wait justified the purchase.

I did go into Bed, Bath & Beyond and managed to find 2 polishes.  The first was Sinful Colors, Nail Junkie, a lovely teal jelly filled with small holographic hex glitters, that is opaque in 3 coats.

The second polish I picked up at Bed, Bath & Beyond was Color Club's Abyss, a a bright green-blue that works very well with Nail Junkie for an accent.  Abyss is very opaque, requiring only 1 coat, and I am happy to announce works great as a stamping polish (I currently have it on my accent finger).

The other 4 polishes that I picked up were all purchased in St. Thomas while on my cruise and they are from Del Sol, which is a shop that deals with items that change colour in the sun, with the polish being no exception.  Unfortunately the Canadian winter sun that shone today was not strong enough to show the colour shift so I can only show you the non-changed colours and tell you what they change to.  I think we will have to wait till summer for a full transformation.

Confetti, a violet base with holographic glitters, turns dark blue in bright sun.

VIP, silver/gold champagne base with holographic glitter, turns bright pink/red, depending on how many coats you use.  I had this on for half of the cruise and could not stop looking at how shiny my nails looked.  When I wear this again I may use a nude base colour because with 3 coats you still have visible nail line.

Heartbreaker, red jelly base with red and silver small glitter, turns purple in the sun.

Electrick!, the only non glitter that I picked up, is a shimmery ice blue that changes to an intense lime green in the sun. I don't know how opaque this is but I will definitely be wearing it on my toes a lot this summer.

That is the end of my haul, I know it is kind of small but I didn't want to buy something just because it was there, I did not want something that I already had by another brand, I wanted colours that added to my collection.

I did receive the 22 mini's from the Formula X for Sephora from my brother this Christmas, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I also received 3 SOPI's from my sister, Thyme for a Mani, a brown-y taupe creme that reminds me of a lighter version of You Don't Know Jacques(I saw it at Winners one day and am kicking myself that I did not pick it up).  I Think I Cayenne, a burnt orange shimmer, and BYOBOY, which is a dusty rose creme that I will definitely be using for retro roses this spring.

Anyway, that is all for this post.  I will be back soon.  I need to get back into a regular posting schedule.

Until next time, polish happy!

33 DC Day 30: Same Pattern, Various Colours

Hello nail polish lovers!

Today I have one of the last posts for The Crumpet's 33 Day Challenge, one week left!  Its been nice to have outside ideas about what to do to try to get me out of my nail polish box, I will have to find more challenges to keep me going...although I will have a few reviews and more nail of the day coming soon.

Today's prompt was same pattern, different colours, which, to me, means stamping.  So I started by painting each of my nails a different colour.  My pinkie is OPI Alpine Snow, ring is Essie No Place Like Chrome, middle OPI Vant to Bite My Neck? and my index is Seche Risque.  These are all one coat except for Bite My Neck which was a little streaky so I did 2 coats.

Once this was coated in SV and dried I began my stamping, choosing to run the stamping in the opposite direction of the base colours, darkest stamping on pinkie, lightest on index(you get the picture).  You will notice that the stamping on my middle finger is a little wrinkled, that is what happens when everything is one coat except that finger and you don't let it dry quite long enough, but what are you going to do?

The pattern that I chose was Messy Mansion's In the Garden plate, an image of lattice and vines, which I totally fell in love with, like I do with all the MM plates that I own...she showed a prototype of a Book plate, which I cannot wait to come into production.  For these images I used the same polishes as for the base, except for the white stamping, which is Konad white, and also my favourite completed nail.

I found this was a great way to see how different polishes transfer the same image and how background colours can change how an image appears and the colour it appears to be, the stamping on my pinkie finger is a totally different colour from the base on my index finger, and yet they are the same polish...something to keep in mind.

That is all for today, I may post tomorrow or Sunday depending on how life goes...I have a Christmas Party Sunday night so it may have to be tomorrow.  I do have another of the Sally Hansen Triple Shine polishes I would like to review so maybe I will post that.

Until then, polish happy!

33DC Day 29: Favourite Pattern and Last Falling For Nail Art Post

Hello polish lovers!

So today I have another double post for you with the 33DC and the Falling for Nail Art Challenge.  Today is the last Falling Challenge and I have really enjoyed the sense of accomplishment I have gotten from these challenges...and they really are a challenge.  Sometimes its finding inspiration within the theme and other times its just finding the time to complete the entry and get it blogged in time.  But anyway on to the manis.

First up my 33DC for my Favourite Pattern.  This was incredibly difficult to narrow down, and knowing me will change as quickly as the new year will come upon us.  I started with a base of Joe Fresh Evergreen.  This is a product line that is brand at the Real Canadian Superstore, and I was really impressed with it, especially given the fact that it was on clearance and I got it for 94 cents!  This is a lovely deep green with gold sparkles in it.  And it could be a 1 coater but I did 2 because, you know, I have a problem.

As you can see the bottle is quite squat and had a short brush, which I find easier to control.  The sparkle is even more pronounced in real life and was quite dense.  This was topped with SV and let dry until I was ready to stamp.

I finally decided to stamp using the paisley pattern from BM315 using Color Club Over The Moon, an awesome blue holographic polish, you can really see the rainbow in the bottle and it is not dulled by top coat.

The reason that I chose the paisley image is because it is the first image that I ever stamped that actually turned out correctly.  I love how the image is not overpowering and allows some of the base polish to shine through.  Some of my plates have images so busy that you barely see the colour, and to me part of the fun of stamping is having at least two colours on my fingers that go together and make a statement.

For my final Falling for Nail Art Challenge the theme was Thanksgiving, which, for me, was over more than a month ago.  So instead of more turkeys and the ubiquitous pumpkins, which I did on Sunday, I went with a very fall image that I fell in love with.  I am sorry to say that I totally forgot to take a photo of the base before I began my stamping, but know that I will definitely use this colour for a base again so that you can see more of it.  My base was 1 coat of Seche's Risque, a very dark aubergine creme that in most lights appeared a very deep rich black.  Once this was dry I used Essie's Good As Gold, one of my favourite golds to stamp with, and MM16 plate and the image of grape vines, leaves and grapes.  If you have not checked out Messy Mansions stamping plates you are doing yourself a grave disservice, check them out!

I will definitely be recreating this mani again.  I love the contrast between the deep purple and the shine of the gold! Love, love, love, love, love.  And on this high note I say good by to Plump and Polished's Falling for Nail Art Challenge for this year.

That is all for now, but I will be back on Friday with Day 30 of the 33DC!

Until then, polish happy!

33DC Day 26: Inspired by Pinterest and Falling for Nail Art Challenge: Jewel Tones

Hello polish lovers!

Its strange that I did not work today and yet I am still doing this post so late in the evening.  I guess that is what happens when you use your days off to complete all of the nail challenges that I had left to do.

I am doing this as a double post because it is almost time for me to go to bed and it is easier for me to combine these 2 challenge posts than to separate them.

So first of my Inspired by Pinterest mani.  I was inspired by Lucy's Stash tutorial on basket weave freehand patterns, seen here.

I started off with a base of 2 coats of another unnamed  Color Club, a colour that was close to the inspiration colour, a greyed out purple(although the CC is more greyed out than purple), that, based on swatches I have decided is Shabby Drab.

This was actually very flattering on the nails and a gorgeous grey/purple creme.

Once this was dry I followed the tutorial and used Wet n' Wild's Ebony Hates Chris and a detail brush to create the design on my index finger.  I wasn't really impressed with the lack of control I had with the brush so when I moved on to the ring finger I decided to use a black striper instead.  I feel that worked much better for how clean I wanted the lines to be.

On my index finger you can't even tell what the pattern is supposed to be, but it is much clearer on my ring finger.  I will have to remember that I really have much more control over the brush if I use as striper rather than a detail brush.

I used a silver square stud from the Born Pretty Store and another unknown Color Club on my middle nail.

Now on to the Falling for Nail Art post for the theme Jewel Tones.

I started out with a base of 2 coats of Color Club's Editorial, a colour that appears to be a dupe of Chanel's Peridot(which I do not own, and therefore cannot do a comparison on), a green to gold duochrome, which my camera would not capture in any in focus shots.

Once this dried I used China Glaze's Tongue & Chic, a dark teal, and Bundle Monster BM422 to create a diamond pattern.

Please ignore the black smudge on my ring finger, I wanted to do a larger black diamond on its own but the stamp did not co-operate.

Anyway, this is the end of my double post for today but I will be back on Friday with my next 33DC mani.

Until then, polish happy!

Falling for Nail Art: Baked Goods

Hello nail polish lovers!

Today I have my Falling for Nail Art Challenge with the theme Baked Goods.  I really had to stop myself from using my apple pie image for this one but I somehow managed to restrain myself.

For this challenge I started with a base of 1 coat of an unnamed Color Club lavender/periwinkle that I think is Pucci-licious, based on swatches.  I loved adding to my Color Club collection but not having names on the bottles is a giant pain in the ass.  If you think this is a different CC colour please let me know, also this colour is slightly less blue in real life.

This colour must have some neon pigment in it because it dried slightly matte.  Once the base was dried I started to add my design, of a cupcake, of course.  I used Lime Crime's Crema de Lemon for the wrapper, and then used a yellow striper for the shadows.  The frosting is China Glaze White on White with yellow and red stripers for the sprinkles.

I added the SV too early, since I am more used to applying it over stamping, and ended up with the red striper smudging and bleeding into the white.  Except for that I was actually quite pleased with how this turned out.

I have been doing so much nail art between the challenges that I have been leaning towards more plain nails, so I wanted to show you one of my favourites from last week.

The base is another of the unnamed Color Clubs, I think it is either Look Book or Style Icon, and this is 3 coats of the deep jelly like red that is the closest to oxblood that I have.  The studs are small gold rounds from the Born Pretty Store and the reason that one of them looks silver is because I took this photo after a day at work and apparently I wore through the top coat and took the colour coating off that one stud.  I really enjoyed how simple and sophisticated this mani was and I think it totally appropriate for Autumn.

That is all for today, but I will be back tomorrow with my next 33DC mani.

Until then, polish happy!

33DC Day 19: Following Someone's Tutorial

Hello polish lovers!

I finally gave in after a moderately bad break on my middle finger nail and cut all my nails down to about half of their original length:(  So there will only be a few more posts at my old length before the new shorter nails will make an appearance.

So for today's challenge I decided to follow The Nailasaurus's Nimbus Nails tutorial, found here.  For this mani I decided that rather than to use a white base, I would take the opportunity to use a new polish that I had not chance to try, OPI's Pink Friday.

Pink Friday is a light bubblegum pink with a slight blue undertone, which works better for me than more orange tone pinks which make my skin tone look sallow.

I followed The Nailasaurus's tutorial and began with my darkest colour, OPI's Vant to Bite My Neck?, a dark eggplant.  Then OPI's A Grape Fit!, a medium purple.  Followed by China Glaze's Purple Panic, Color Club's Warhol, and finished with China Glaze's Innocence.  I found that my nimbus spots were a little too intense so I put a coat of Innocence over the entire nail.  I think I need more practice but I like the idea of these nails.

I think I need to work on overlapping the halos more, I think next time I will use greens and blues.  That is all for today but I will be back on Wednesday for my double up day.

Until then, polish happy!